A man was shot by a Dunwoody Police officer on Jan. 20 after police said he robbed a Johns Creek Kroger at gunpoint. The suspect later died at Grady Hospital.
Police said the man armed with a handgun robbed the Kroger at 8465 Holcomb Bridge Road in Johns Creek the morning of Jan. 20. The suspect fled the scene to the Walmart parking lot at 5025 Winters Chapel Road, where Dunwoody Police and Johns Creek officers converged at about 7:45 a.m. to search for the suspect.
“When confronted by officers, the suspect did not comply with their verbal commands and exited the vehicle,” Dunwoody Police Sgt. Robert Parsons said in a press release. “Fearing for his safety and the safety of others, an officer fired one shot striking the suspect.”
Officers immediately detained the suspect and rendered first aid until DeKalb Fire/EMS arrived on scene, Parsons said. The suspect was transported to Grady Memorial Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on paid administrative leave in accordance with departmental procedures.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is conducting an outside, independent investigation of this incident at the request of the Dunwoody Police Department.
The identity of the deceased suspect and the officer involved are being withheld at this time pending appropriate notifications.
Update Jan. 23: The GBI has identified Jason Lappe, 44, as the person shot by the Dunwoody Police officer, according to a GBI spokesperson. The officer’s name has not yet been released. The GBI investigation is ongoing.